Brooder



l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

.I OHN -MY ERS, OF WELSH RUN, PENNSYLVANIA.

BROODER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 475,139, dated May 17,1892.

v Application filed May 13, 1891; Serial No. 392,619. (No modeLl Run, in the county of Franklin and State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Brooders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which -it pertains to make and use it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which` form part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in brooders; andit consists in the combination and arrangement of parts which will be fully described hereinafter, and more particularly referred to in the claims.

The object of my invention is to produce a broeder in which young chickens,.ducks, and other such fowls can be raised and which is provided with a heater which heats the air and distributes it evenly throughout the brooder,

Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through the heater and the feeding-chamber. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken at right angles to Fig. l. Figs. 3 and tare detached views showing the position of the door E.

A represents the brooder, which will be made ofa size proportioned to the number of the small fowls to be placed therein and which has the bottom of every portion, with the eX- ception of the lamp-chamber, raised to a suitable distance above the ground or floor. The

, bottom of the lamp-chamber B is flush with the lower edge of Athe brooder, and inside of this chamber, which is perforated upon all sides, so as to freely admit fresh air, are secured three strips C, which serve to guide the lamp into position and which enables the lamp to be inserted into place without the necessity of the operator stooping to look whether it is in its proper position or not. An opening is made thronghthe top of this chamber, and this opening is made larger than is necessary for the passage of the top of the lamp-chimney, and secured to the top around this opening is a sheet-metal plate D. In order to close the opening, which is made larger than is necessary, so as to allow the -lamp to be quickly and readily inserted into position, a drop-door E is used, which dooris dropped down, so as to be out of the way before the lamp is inserted, and then after the lamp is in position it is raised into place. Secured to the top of this door is a sheet-metal plate F, Which projects beyond the door at its inner end, so as lto approach as near as possible to the lamp-chimney without touching it, and which plateserves to close the opening as much as possible, so that only the hot air directly from the flame of the lamp 6o. will pass into the heating-chamber G, which is the same size and shape as the lamp-chamber. The top of this heating -chamber is formed by a metallic plate H, which extends from one end to the other, and which is to be covered over with sand or earth, and upon which the small fowls rest.` Secured to the under side of the center of this metallic floor His a hot-air chamber I, which is directly over the top of the lamp, and from which eX- 7o tends a hot-air tube J. The heat of the lamp is not allowed to strike directly against the bottom of the hot-air chamber I, but does strike against the fender L, which is secured to the bottom of the chamber at any suitable distance below it, and which receives the full force of the rising current of hot air from the lamp-chimney. The fender serves to break the force of 'this hot air, so that it merely strikes the ends of the chamber I after it 8o passes beyond the fender. The air in this chamber I being heated rises through the T- shaped pipe, and is evenly diffused through the chamber N, in which the small fowls are placed. The hot air accumlates in the chamber under the floor H, and heats this metal floor so as to gently heat the sand or dirt placed upon its top, andthus keep the small fowls always Warm. The top of the chamber N consists ot' two boards or solid pieces,into which 9o a plate of glass or Window is inserted for the purpose of giving'abundace of light. This window can be covered over when so desired by means of ahinged door, which is connected to one of the top pieces.

Either detachably or rigidly secured to one end of the chamberNis the feeding-chamber O, which is provided With a suitable window to give light,` a Ventilator to give fresh air, and a door through which the food is introloo duced. By having a separate feeding-chamber the food is prevented from being wasted by having the Small fowls trample upon it. As here shown, this chamber is detachably fastened, so that it can be readily removed and cleaned Whenever so desired.

Upon one side of the chamber N at right angles to the chamber O is a chamber Q, which is large enough to allow the small fowls to run around in and which is provided with a Window to give light and a ventilator to admit fresh air. One portion of the floor is made rigid, while the other portion Ris hinged and has a rising-and-falling motion at its outer end in relation to the opening S, through which the small fowls pass out into the open air. When this movable portion R of the Hoor is raised into a horizontal position by means of the string orcord T, connected thereto, its outer end is raised above the opening S, so as to prevent the small fowls from leavi ing the brooder, and then by inserting a stop or support under the free end of the portion R of the Hoor, it is held-in this raised position. When the youu g fowls are to 'be allowed to leave the broodergthis portion R of thev floor is lowered at its outer free end. The heat from the chamberN passes intothe chambers O and Q and keeps them always warm and comfortable. Any suitable means-'such as an aperture in reservoir I or an air-supply pipe (not shown )-can be provided to supply air to the reservoir I. However, such feature forms no part of my invention and I make no claim for the same.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim-- opening for the lamp-chimney, the broodingchamber, the iioor of said brooding-chamber located a distance above the top of the lampcharnber forming the interposed heatingchamber Gr, the air-heating reservoir I 0n the under side of the brooding-chamber floor di- 'rectly above the chimney-opening in the lampchamber, the fender L on the bottom of and a distance below said reservoir above the chimney, and the hot-air pipe extending upwardly from said reservoir into the top of the brooding-chamber provided with the distrib- Y uting-pipe, as described.

2. The combination, in a brooder, of the lower lamp-chamber having perforated top wall, the plate D at said opening to receive the lamp-chimney, the drop-door E, provided with plate F to coact withplate D, as described, the upper brooding-chamber having its floor H a distance above the top of the lam p-chamber, forming the intermediate heat- J OI-IN MYERS.

Witnesses: B. F. HOFFMAN, FRANK ELLIOTT. 

